July 29, 2006

Lutefisk & Watermelon

Seafood Fest in Ballard this weekend, and it's a tough way to earn $50: win the lutefisk eating contest. Gadhus morua, Atlantic cod, the fish that was to the Vikings and the Basques (yes, the Basques!) what the buffalo was to the Plainsman: sustenance on the road to conquest. Salted, soaked in lye, boiled and baked, it turns into a smelly fish jello, scarfed down by desperate men. Desperate for fifty bucks, at any rate.

Lutefisk eaters getting ready.JPG Lutefisk contest underway.jpg.JPG

The kiddies have an easier time of it: watermelon. The winning strategy: put your face into it! The prize: a brand new bike. Ah, to be a kid again.

Watermelon eaters.JPG

Posted by Ronald Holden at July 29, 2006 6:21 PM

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Comments

It's been a long time since I lived in Ballard (1974-75), and there were no festivals at all if memory is correct. I do remember the owner of the Owl Cafe trying to rip us off after a gig and heard she later was forcibly ejected from the bar. Still, it's great to hear of a good festival with live music and local seafood in the present times. For a thriving community, it's the present that matters!

Posted by: Barry at July 29, 2006 10:50 PM

I really love oysters but I skipped the BSF again this year beacause everyone knows that you shouldn't eat oysters in the summer. Not for health reasons though but because they spawn in the summer and their flesh is mushy. Poopy.

As for lutefisk, it's even grosser in the summer. This is a winter dish.

My opinions and $3 will get you a $3.50 cup of coffee at Starbucks.

-A

Posted by: Alex R. Mayer at July 29, 2006 7:55 PM

Are these men out of their minds? Lutefisk is disgusting even when there is no eating contest.

What is up with eating contests anyway? Talk about the last bastion of bad taste.

However, if you know of a Tim's Cascade Chip eating contest....let me know.

Posted by: Trisha at July 29, 2006 6:49 PM